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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. spring — of water
  6. wax — to grow
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — the season
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. pop — soda
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mark — a trace
  15. field — farmland
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. mine — for digging
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pop — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com